Change of Fate
by Criminalmindschick221
Summary: There is no such thing as fate. Whatever was "supposed to happen" didn't. People died, promises were broken and circumstances changed. Now, the Oceanic 6 are Jack, Kate, Hurley, Claire, Aaron and Sun. But those are only the known survivors. What happened to Sayid? And how did he get Claire back from "her father"?
1. Chapter 1

"Sun! Sun calm down!" Kate looked over at the frantic woman, who was screaming her husband's name down into the ocean. There was no movement; everyone on the boat was dead…including Jin, including Michael.

Sun never heard Kate because after she finished yelling, she immediately started crying hysterically. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, hard.

It felt like time was slow, like it was letting all the pain-staking events take their time to sink in.

Most of their friends were dead and if they weren't then they were probably still stranded on that Island, which wasn't much better. It hurt, losing them, even if it wasn't permanent, even if it wasn't recent. It still hurt.

Sun lost Jin.

Jack lost his father.

Kate lost Sawyer.

Desmond lost Penny.

Hurley lost Libby.

Claire lost Charlie.

And they all lost a little part of themselves, the part that knew how to be happy and the part that smiled every once in a while. The part that could laugh, the part that could be lazy, and the part that could relax. It was the same part that taught them how to love. But now it was gone…because for them, love and loss, light and dark, and life and death became intertwined.

Loving lead to losing, the light never seemed to compare to the power of the dark, and wherever there was life…death came after. But now, they couldn't tell where one ended and the other began anymore.

That realization was inevitable for all of them as they listened to the cries of the pregnant woman grieving for her dead husband.

Kate felt that there was nothing left that she could do for the woman. Sometimes the best thing to do is cry because it cleanses you and helps you to let go. She glanced down and noticed that the blue water underneath them looked choppy. Sawyer came to her mind almost immediately, she was worried about him. He was good swimmer, but water can tire anyone out…no matter how fit they are.

Her heart ached for him. She wished vainly that he could be here, that he could be safe. But he did what he did to save them and it meant a lot, especially to her.

Their ride started out silent, other than the consistent noise that the helicopter was making. Kate took that time to examine the rest of the people sitting around her and try to take in most of what she could. To her left, Jack was staring at the ground with intense guilt clear in his green eyes. She could tell that he felt at fault for Jin's death. Maybe she could talk to him about it later. Next she looked at Hurley, who was gazing at Sun with hesitation like he wanted to step in and help comfort her, but didn't have the courage. And last, there was Claire and Aaron. The baby in her arms looked to be okay, peaceful even, but Claire…there was foreign look in her eyes, something Kate had never seen in those soft blue orbs before. They were faraway, distant. She also noticed that there was a large gash on her head and that she was favoring her right arm close to her body.

Once some of the others had started their own conversations and there was a lot of other background noise, Kate wanted to see if she was doing alright. "Hey, Claire. You okay?"

Her eyes met Kate's, but the distance was still there. _Lost, _that was the perfect word to describe it. She looked lost. And Kate hated the irony of that. That now, as they were being rescued and taken home, The Island had done something to break her, why now? Why Claire? Kate was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost missed what the other woman had replied.

"I'm alright." Her voice was hoarse, almost a whisper.

Hurley looked over when Claire spoke, he looked concerned. He had a kind of big brother relationship with Claire, probably just because he had been best friends with Charlie before his death.

Sometimes even more than death tears people apart, it does a better job of bringing them together.

Claire looked up at Hurley, tears springing to her deep blue eyes. They held their stare, almost like they were talking through their eyes.

Hurley's glowing warm brown gaze said: _We're okay, we're getting away from this place. We made it…we survived._

Her eyes weren't as joyful; they were filled with grief and regret: _But he didn't._

Hurley looked at the ground and shook his head ever so slightly before meeting her gaze again: _He would want this for us, for you. He loved you, Claire._

Claire broke the stare at that, she blinked tears out of her eyes, sniffed and then turned her attention back to the baby in her lap. She whispered three words, "He was right."

Both Hurley and Kate were confused at that so Kate sat forward and spoke up, "Who was right?"

"Desmond. He…a couple weeks before he and…" She couldn't say his name, but they knew who she was talking about so she just carried on, "Before they went to the Looking Glass Station, Desmond said that he was going to die. He said it was fate."

"Aye." Desmond said from the front seat of the helicopter, "I'm sorry Claire…but that's what had to happen."

Most of the helicopter was quiet now, some listening in to their conversation, others just thinking about what was coming next.

Kate stared blankly at her, "Claire…" She started, but the other woman cut her off.

Claire shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Desmond told me that he was going to die and then Charlie…he told me himself that he was going to the Looking Glass Station. He told me not to worry and I said I wouldn't, but I knew…I knew he was going to die and I didn't do anything to stop it."

"No." Kate shook her head, "There was nothing you could have done. Charlie already made up his mind and he would have done it no matter what. He did it for you, he did it so you could be here."

"It was almost like I…I wanted to test fate. I wanted to see if Desmond was right about his visions. I thought maybe there was a chance that he could be wrong…just this once," She bit her lip, "but he wasn't. He was right."

Hurley spoke this time, "You're here now…we're all here now because of Charlie. That's what you need to remember. Not fate, not visions…courage. That dude had courage."

Claire didn't say anything.

Hurley reached over with his left hand and took hold of her right. He noticed her wince in pain slightly and he started to pull his hand away, but she didn't let go so neither did he. He held her hand between both of his and they sat there, the warmness of each other's hands their only comfort.

Kate wasn't sure if she believed that Claire was okay or not, "You're head's bleeding pretty bad." She started, trying tenderly to bring up the subject that she really wanted to address, "What happened out there Claire? One day I have Sawyer telling me that he lost you and then…you turn up in the middle of the forest, screaming and talking about a cabin that doesn't exist and a person that is already dead. And what happened to Sayid?"

Claire looked up at Kate, her inner fear reflecting in her eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to answer, a loud high-pitched noise silenced her. And after that a bright white light appeared and blinded all of them for more than a couple of seconds.

Once it faded away, the pilot was staring forward, his face deathly pale. "It's gone." He creased his eyebrows and searched the skyline again, but there was nothing.

"The Island is gone."

* * *

_Kate had never imagined in all her time at the Island or even in all of her life that she would ever be responsible for a baby. She always thought that she wasn't the motherly type. The thought of what could happen while a baby was under her care frightened her, but then she realized that thinking like that was how a mother would think. It offered some comfort._

_She looked down at the baby in her arms, sleeping. He was so adorable and she noticed that he was growing a little bit of Claire's light blonde hair on his tiny head. That brought a smile to her face. _

_And then she remembered. _

_Claire wouldn't be waiting for her at the beach to take her baby back. She was "lost" as Sawyer had put it. What the hell did that mean? Being lost? Where could she have gone? How could she have just disappeared?_

_That girl had done everything right. She never got into trouble or went on dangerous trips, so why did she get screwed over? It just didn't seem right and with their rescue quickly approaching, Kate knew that she needed to make it right. _

_She had to do the right thing and go find Claire._

_The soft sand underneath her shoes was the first thing that alerted her to her arrival at the beach. She looked up from the baby in her arms. The beach was in chaos. It seemed like people were scrambling around in all different directions. The next thing she saw was a boat on the shore, nothing big, just a motor boat. There were people gathered around it, but not many. Among them she recognized Sun, Jin, and Sayid._

_She also saw that Juliet was walking towards Sayid purposefully, but Kate got there first. She walked straight up to him, "Sayid. Claire's gone. I need you to help me find her. Aaron needs his mother and I need someone to come with me and help find her. We can't leave her and take her baby, we can't." She told him, tears coming to her eyes. She didn't let them fall. _

_For some reason Claire felt like a sister to her. She'd delivered her baby for god's sakes, if that didn't build some kind of bond, then what did?_

_Sayid gave her a quick look, his eyes thick with emotion. "Yes, yes of course I'll help, but we can't take Aaron with us…and who will drive the boat?"_

_"I will…I can do it." Daniel Faraday walked up to them, "I've done it before and I know where the boat is. I can take people to it until you get back."_

_Sayid nodded slowly, "Alright. Now what about Aaron?" _

_Juliet, who had walked up to them during their conversation, spoke up. "I can watch him. I'll wait for you guys to come back with Claire."_

_Kate looked a little bit skeptic, but there was no time. She didn't have time to be jealous or hold grudges. She just had to trust that Juliet had motherly instincts and would care for the baby while they were gone. So she handed Aaron over to Juliet only to feel a pang of sadness hit her._

_Why did she feel like that? It's not like it was her baby and she would eventually see him again, right? For some reason, it just felt like she was losing him. She could only imagine how Claire must feel. They had to find her…and soon. _

_Between them, the walk through the forest was quiet. Every so often they would stop and take a sip of water, maybe exchange a few words about the freighter and who was on it, but mostly they were absorbed in their thoughts until Sayid bent down in a seemingly random spot. _

_"This is where Sawyer, Claire and Miles were staying."_

_Kate looked down. There was nothing there, no fire pit, no blankets…nothing. "How can you tell?" She tilted her head. _

_Sayid lifted up a small piece of notebook paper. There were words written on it in all capital letters in a black marker. He stood up and walked over to Kate, reading it aloud. "Number five: The first time I heard myself on the radio. Number four: Dad teaching me to swim at Butlins. Number three: The Christmas Liam gave me the ring. Number two: Woman outside covent garden calls me a hero. Number one: The night I met you."_

_Kate looked at the ground and closed her eyes, "D-did Charlie write that…to Claire?"_

_"I would assume so. Yes." Sayid put it in his pocket, "Now we can start tracking her…from here it should probably be-"_

_"Freeze!" A voice called and the sound of several guns cocking all around them quickly followed his command. _

_Kate froze in her tracks and looked around, there were people scattered in the bushes surrounding them. She didn't recognize any of them until the leader came out from a bush directly in front of them: Richard. This was not good. _

_Next to her, Sayid pointed his gun at Richard. _

_Somewhere from the bushes a voice yelled, "Drop the gun." When Sayid didn't, they fired a warning shot into a tree next to him, "Drop the gun! Put it on the ground! Now!" _

_After a few seconds, Sayid did put the gun down, but he did not look happy about it. He glanced at Kate and then gulped._

_Richard walked towards them slowly, confidently. He knew that he had control and he was dangling it right in front of their noses, "Hello Kate, hello Sayid. We're sorry for dropping in so unexpected, but…we need your help."_

_"For what?"_

_Richard circled around them, flaunting his power. "We need a favor. And if you cooperate with us and help us get what we want we're willing to make a deal with you so that you can get what you want also." _

_Sayid and Kate met each other's eyes. They both knew what they wanted, what their side of the deal needed to be, "We are trying to find our friend Claire. Young, blonde girl…she used to be pregnant. I'm sure you're familiar. She was kidnapped by your people, Ethan to be exact." Sayid stated._

_They all exchanged glances and one of them called out, "How do you expect us to know where she is now?" They sounded impatient and hateful._

_Kate stepped forward unthreateningly, "She left with someone she called 'dad' and as far as we all know, her dad was not on the plane. And also usually when someone goes missing they'll turn up somewhere, either picked up by you guys or by us. But she's just…gone."_

_Richard creased his eyebrows in thought, "Is her father dead?"_

_"I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure she said that he was out of the picture. That could mean he's dead, why?" Kate looked at him curiously. She could see his mind working. _

_Richard nodded, deep in thought. It looked like he was having an inner battle with himself. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he made up his mind. "Alright, I think I know where she is, but I can only take one of you with me and well…it has to be Sayid because we need you specifically for what we're gonna do, Kate."_

_Kate looked ready to protest, but Sayid cut in first. "It's okay. I'll go and I'll bring her back, you just be safe Kate." He walked towards Richard, who told his number two the plan for Kate and then he and Sayid walked off into the jungle. She also noted that Richard had grabbed one of those large guns before they left and she prayed that Sayid would be cautious._

_Their plan to get Ben back worked easily and she also reunited with Jack, Hurley, and Sawyer. They were getting the helicopter ready to fly to the freighter when Kate remembered Sayid and Richard. She told all of the men what had happened and then stated, without any question that she was going to find Claire before she left. That was when they heard a noise erupt from the jungle: _

_Claire's scream._

_It was loud and agonizing, but as it went on for a few seconds another noise faded in and drowned out the screams. It was the all too familiar clicking noise that the smoke monster made when it was angry. _

_Claire's screams got even worse after that._

_She was yelling Sayid's name over and over and over again. _

_But before the any of the people at the helicopter could react, the sound of the smoke monster was gone and Claire's screams had stopped…completely. It was the most silent that any of them had heard that jungle…ever._

_That was until she started screaming again, "Help! Help! Somebody help me!" She sounded close. _

_Kate took off in a sprint with Sawyer right on her heels and Jack and Hurley close behind. They followed the sound of her yelling until Kate tripped over something on the ground, stalling the group. When she looked down she saw that it was a gun, a large one. _

_The one that Richard had been carrying. _

_"Kate?" Claire's voice cracked as she spoke._

_Kate looked up and saw Claire. Her head was bleeding, the dark red blood contrasting her light blond hair and her blue eyes were swimming with tears. She was standing in the middle of a clearing, alone._

_ Before anyone had the chance to say anything, Claire started yelling. "Sayid's gone! Richard and Sayid they were right here! That thing…it took them! I was in the cabin. I was with him. I was with my dad, my dead dad! And Locke…he…he came to visit me! He talked to my dad! He talked to me! But he didn't do anything! Sayid and Richard, they…they…" She paused to sob, "They made it angry. They made it attack! It got them! I can't…I don't know where they went! I don't know where he took them!"_

_Before Kate could say anything, Hurley spoke first. "Wait…you were in Jacob's cabin?"_

_Claire didn't answer the question. She sank to the ground, "They were right here. I watched it…I watched it take them. I didn't…they were right here. They were right here." She was trembling and her blue eyes were wide open, stricken with fear. _

_Kate sat down next to her, "Claire…it's okay. You're okay." She put her arm around her, the feeling of Claire's whole body shaking giving her no comfort._

_Sawyer sat down on her other side, just sitting there…to be there for her. That was the most he could offer, he was never very good at comforting people. _

_"Where did it take them?" Jack asked, crouching down in front of Claire. _

_She blinked and didn't look him in the eye, "They were right there. It just…took them. They're gone…it took them and then it left. And I watched it happen." Her voice was ominous, chilling…even with her soft, Australian accent. _

_"Claire!" Jack snapped his fingers in front of her. _

_Her eyes shot up. _

_"Where did it take them? Which way Claire?" Jack asked slowly. _

_Claire blinked a few more times and then pointed to her left. When he started to go jogging in that direction, she called after him, "But Jack…it was like…flying. Once they were in it…they were gone."_

_Jack froze in his tracks and turned around, "What do you mean?"_

_She let out a sigh, "It…__**engulfed **__them. And then it left. That __**thing, **__whatever it was, it took them with it. They were right here in front of me and then it just came out of nowhere and took them."_

_No one said anything, no one could. Why would it just take them? Actually, the more pressing question was where would it take them? No one knew where that thing lived or what it was, if it took them…there was a good chance they would never get them back._

_The sound of the chopper broke the silence. _

_"We have to go." Sawyer spoke first and stood up. He offered his hand to Claire and helped pull her up off of the ground. _

_"But what about Sayid?" Hurley asked. _

_"What about him? That thing took him and hell, maybe he's safer wherever he is. All I know is that I'm getting off this Island and if you guys want to stay and look feel free, but I'm leaving now with or without you." Sawyer said, starting to walk back to where they came from. _

_Kate looked at Jack and Hurley before turning to Claire, "Come on. Let's go." She walked after Sawyer and Claire followed. _

_Hurley looked shocked that they would be so ready to leave Sayid behind, "Dude…we can't just leave. We have to do something, don't we?" He stared at Jack. _

_"This is our only chance Hurley and we have to take it. I'm sorry." Jack walked out of the clearing in the same direction that Sawyer, Kate and Claire had gone. _

_And after a few seconds alone in the clearing Hurley let out a sigh, "Someday we'll come back for you, man." He said and then he too left to go get on the helicopter that would take them off this Island. _


	2. Chapter 2

_It was a clear night, not a cloud in the sky. The twinkling stars and full moon were reflected on the surface of the calm ocean water. The waves were small and the water was so smooth that it just looked like an endless, black blanket. There was also a slight breeze, but not strong enough to put out the small fire that Claire had sat herself in front of. She'd left Aaron with Sun for a while so that she could have some time to herself, to think. _

_She stared up at the stars and couldn't help smiling just a little bit. Because things were okay for now. Sure, the hatch exploded and the sky turned a weird purple color for a couple of seconds, but Charlie was okay…and most everyone was okay. And that was something worth smiling about. _

_Especially because of the small kiss she'd shared with Charlie. _

_They'd been fighting for a while about his heroin addiction and the fact that he lied to her about the Virgin Mary statue and also tried to steal her baby in the middle of the night on more than one occasion, but they had grown closer the past couple weeks. She'd been ready to forgive him anyway because he seemed to have gotten better. And in that moment when her lips met his, everything seemed perfect. _

_Even if they were on this god-forsaken Island. _

_Even if people were getting picked off every single day by Others and by smoke monsters and by themselves._

_Even if they never made it home. _

_Because that one moment when she was with Charlie and she knew that he loved her as much as she loved him, everything was perfect. _

_To be honest, she was still a little dazed. It had been an hour or so since Charlie had left to go help Hurley with something, an hour or so since their kiss and she couldn't help just going through it over and over again in her mind. _

_"You seem to be enjoying yourself." A mocking voice said from behind her, "Day-dreaming about a certain someone…?" _

_She recognized it right away and smiled, "If only I had one to dream about."_

_Charlie chuckled softly, "Ouch. That was cold…but really. What are you doing?"_

_Claire smirked and let out a soft sigh, "Just passing the time…" She smiled a little bit and stared into the fire. _

_"Aww…you sound glum. You need some cheering up? I know I sure do. I just spent the last hour with Hurley trying to catch some fish. He caught one, but all I caught were rocks." Charlie let out a long sigh as he sat down next to her. _

_Claire shook her head, "You don't seem like the fishing type. Maybe you should just stick to playing your guitar and cracking corny jokes."_

_"You know…that's not exactly what I'd call cheering someone up…That actually tore me up quite a bit." Charlie grinned, showing his teeth._

_Claire giggled, "Well you're smiling aren't you?" She pointed out._

_Charlie smirked, "Never mind that. I think the more pressing issue here is that you think that my jokes are corny. You seemed to like my jokes earlier when you were all over me." He raised his eyebrows and looked over at her. _

_"All over you?" Claire laughed and shook her head._

_Charlie nodded, his smile fading slightly. "Yeah! I mean, I'm not saying I didn't like it…but why? Why the sudden interest after so long?" His expression was serious now._

_"Charlie…the hatch exploded and people died. You could have been one of them. In fact, I thought you were one of them…so when you came back with just a scratch on your head I was so relieved. I wanted to make sure that you knew how I felt about you just in case someday…something does happen." Claire explained, giving him a shy smile. _

_Charlie cracked his own smile again, "And just to be clear…how is it that you feel about me?"_

_Claire looked at the ground for a few seconds before meeting his eyes again. Her blue eyes sparkled and she gave him a small smile. "I love you, Charlie." She whispered to him._

_He looked surprised at first, "You do?"_

_"What? You weren't expecting that?" She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. _

_Charlie gulped, "I-uhh…I mean, no. No I wasn't. I was expecting something like: I like you as more than a friend, Charlie or…or…maybe Charlie…you have a great personality and you seem like a great guy." He said, nervously. _

_Claire found herself a little bit troubled by his response, "But…I do. I do love you, Charlie. I know I've been kind of…mad at you lately, but I didn't like that. I didn't like not being around you. You're the only person on this Island that knows me…and I mean, __**really**__ knows me." She smiled._

_Charlie paused and closed his eyes just before he turned to her again, "I do know you." He smiled a little bit, "I know that you love peanut butter, especially mine. I know that you had a jerk of a boyfriend who left you when you needed him the most. I know that you never had a father around when you were little and you're worried that Aaron will have the same problem. And I know that you were going to give him up in Los Angeles and that you didn't think you could do this at first, but you can. I know that you can. I also know that you are…you are the only girl that I've ever known this much about. And to me that means something. I think it means that you're the only girl that I've ever really…loved. So I guess I was expecting to hear that from you, but I just sort of hoped that I would be the one to say it first." He chuckled, "I love you too, Claire." He smiled at her. _

_And then, they both leaned in and pressed their lips together for the second time in one night. _

_And again, everything was perfect. _

_Maybe she would finally find the guy that she had always wanted. _

_Maybe Aaron would have a father. _

_Maybe, even here on the Island of all places, they could start a family._

* * *

No one said anything for a few seconds.

There was no way.

Sure, some weird things went on with this Island, but it had been there a few seconds ago and there was absolutely no way that it could have just disappeared. Where could it have gone? And more importantly what would happen to the people that were on it?

Suddenly, Aaron started wailing. It was like he knew what the pilot had said. It was like he knew that things had just taken a sharp turn for the worst.

Jack glanced at Claire and the baby before breaking the silence between all of them and calling to the pilot over the baby's cries, "What do you mean it's gone? It has to be there somewhere. Look harder…maybe it's just further then you thought it was."

"No! Jack. I just saw it. We were a mile away and then I blinked and it was gone. It disappeared. We have nowhere to land and the copter's running out of fuel fast." The pilot informed them, "We're going down…and soon."

Jack only looked shocked for a few seconds. He recovered quickly and took on his leader responsibility again, "Hurley grab the raft. It's right underneath you." He ordered gently, calmly.

Hurley disconnected his hands from Claire's and bent over, pulling the raft out. He nodded to Jack before throwing it out of the helicopter. Once it was gone he reached over and took Claire's hand in his again.

"Okay…we're out. We're out of fuel! We're going down, everybody hold on!" Frank yelled, "Brace yourselves!"

Claire closed her eyes, pulled Aaron close, and clung to Hurley's hand for dear life. The noise of the helicopter had stopped; they were literally falling out of the sky. She wondered if she would die.

After all they'd been through, was she going to die because of this? Was she going to die in the same ocean that had claimed Charlie's life?

She could hear Aaron crying, but she just kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to know when it was going to happen; she would rather have her eyes shut for this. All she saw was darkness.

_Please let Aaron be okay…let him survive this. We've made it through bombs, guns, knives, illnesses, and-and a whole lot of other stuff that I probably didn't even know was going on. We survived that. Please let us survive this. Make it so Charlie didn't die for nothing. Just please…let us get off of this Island, let us live. _

The force of the copter hitting the water was just as hard as if it would have hit solid ground. It threw everyone out of their seats and forced Claire to open her eyes. She felt Aaron slip from her arms just before she hit the water.

Calling her frantic after that would be an understatement. She flailed in all directions just trying to stay afloat and find Aaron. It was a few seconds before she spotted him on the surface of the water, he was already halfway submerged and still sinking. She swam faster then she had ever swum before and luckily, she reached him just in time. His head never went below the water.

It was hard to keep both herself and him above the water because she was using both of her arms to hold him up. She was only focused on him. Keeping her own head above the water was a challenge, but as she made her way towards the raft she managed to at least keep her nose above the water with the power of her legs.

Aaron was crying again, but she had to ignore it. She had to keep swimming. The raft was getting closer and closer. That was until Claire felt herself get caught on something. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was sinking fast and starting to pull her down with it. She thought that it was just her pants caught on it, but it turned out that her foot was wedged underneath it. It wasn't heavy enough to pull her down completely at first, but as she started getting tired…it started pulling her down more and more. She panicked.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that drowning was the worst way to die. And she wondered if Charlie had known that before died too. She knew she couldn't make it to the raft so she forced herself to swim a little bit further to a piece of floating debris. It was one of the seat cushions. She placed Aaron on it and kissed his forehead.

Then, it pulled her under…and she let it. There was no more fight left in her. She might have been able to make it a little further, but she didn't want to fight anymore. What was going to happen would happen, it was fate. If she was supposed to live, she would…but obviously…it was turning out to be just the opposite.

Her lungs started screaming for air and she felt the pressure of the water around her growing. Her ears popped and it felt like the water was closing her in. She couldn't breathe, she wanted to…but she also knew that the surface was too far away for her to reach now. It was too late for her.

Maybe Kate could raise Aaron. She wouldn't mind that too much, she had been the one that had delivered him.

Claire knew it was coming soon, death. She could feel the darkness closing in and her only thoughts were of Charlie. Would she get to see him again? And just as that thought crossed her mind, the darkness began to fade to a bright light. All she could see was white.

And then he appeared in front of her, "Charlie?" She asked.

He grinned and looked at her, "Claire."

"You're here. You're…you're okay. I've missed you so much, you have no idea." Claire said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. Feeling his touch felt so good after so long.

"Claire, you have to go back. It's not time for you yet." He said as he pulled away from her.

Claire stared at him, a little offended. "What? Don't you want me to stay? We can finally be together. We don't have to be apart anymore, isn't that what you want?" She asked.

Charlie shook his head, "No. It's not. You need to go back, Claire. It's not your time yet." He looked into her eyes, his own pleading.

When she looked into his eyes, she realized that it wasn't him. The warm, playful tint that was usually in Charlie's eyes wasn't there. "Who are you? I know you aren't Charlie."

He stepped towards her, "It doesn't matter who I am. You need to go back, Claire. You need to go back and raise Aaron. He already lost his father, he doesn't need to lose his mother too."

"Are you that thing? Are you the thing that pretended to be my father?"

He shook his head, "No. I'm just the opposite. I'm the one going against him and you have to be alive for that to happen, Claire. I know you think that you aren't a big part of everything on the Island, but you are. You and Aaron need to be alive…together."

"And why should I listen to you?"

"Because I know what's best for you and for Aaron. Don't you think that if you had such a hard time without a father, that he'll have an even worse time with no parents? He needs you. You have to go back, right now."

Claire contemplated it for a few moments and then nodded, "You're-you're right. But how?"

"Just close your eyes…" He started, "And picture yourself back there…picture yourself underwater."

Claire closed her eyes and listened to his commands. She visioned herself submerged again under the water…and then she felt it. She felt the water surrounding her…the pressure of it returned, along with the strain on her lungs. Her eyes flew open only to see the open sea surrounding her, pieces of floating debris everywhere and a couple large fish swimming around her.

When she looked up, she saw that the surface was way too far away. She couldn't make it…could she? That guy had sent her back here for nothing…even she couldn't save herself now.

Suddenly something broke the surface, someone had dived in. They were swimming down towards her, it was Kate. She was moving quickly, getting closer and closer by the minute, but Claire's eyes were closing again. This time it wasn't voluntary, she was too weak to keep them open anymore. She wondered if the man would be mad to see her after he'd sent her back.

The light came again, it was brighter this time. And there he was, except now he wasn't in Charlie's body. She guessed that he was himself since she didn't recognize him. It was a blonde, middle-aged man with a beard and light colored clothing.

"Are you God?" She asked, the question coming to her mind suddenly.

A smile came to his lips, "I am Jacob." He said.

"Am I dead?" The moment she asked the question she felt a hand on her wrist, except when she looked down there was nothing there. At first she was confused, but then she realized that it must be Kate…pulling her up.

He smirked, "I think you already know the answer to that."

"Why am I here again if I'm not dead?" Claire asked him.

The man, Jacob, shrugged like he didn't know even though she was sure that he did. "You're here because I want you here. I need to talk to you before you go back again."

Claire nodded at him, "Go on then."

He smiled a little bit, "You must know that when you leave this Island…eventually you will be forced to return-"

"But-"

"Let me finish. We don't have much time. You will have to come back eventually and you need to know that Aaron should never return to this Island, never. If…and when you come back here, you leave Aaron in the real world. I also need you to know that on the Island, you must never talk to your father ever again. I need you on my side, not his." He looked at her.

Claire nodded, "Is that it?"

"Yes, Claire, it is."

"Alright, well…can I ask you something before I go back?" When he nodded she carried on, "Why did Charlie…I mean, is there such thing as fate or are you just punishing us for what we've done before?"

"Oh Claire…" Jacob shook his head, "I can't answer that for you. That question is something that you have to come up with an answer for yourself. And when you do, you'll finally understand…and you'll be happy."

"Understand? Understand what? W-what's that supposed to mean?"

Jacob grinned, "Goodbye Claire." He started to fade, along with the bright white light.

And then she felt someone pushing down repeatedly on her chest. The water in her lungs flooded out, her eyes flew open and she went into a coughing fit. The salt water did not agree with her throat, it throbbed painfully.

"Claire, are you okay?" Kate asked next to her.

Before she could answer, someone was forcing a bottle of water towards her. They poured it down her throat, which she would have appreciated if they hadn't been so forceful about it. She closed her eyes again, just for the sake of resting them. She felt so exhausted.

"What happened?" Hurley asked from where he was standing behind Kate.

"I-I…was swimming towards the raft and I-I saw Aaron floating on a cushion. And when I didn't see Claire I knew there was something wrong…so I brought Aaron to the raft and then dove in after her. I saw her right away…her foot was caught on one of the crates that was in helicopter. And she was unconscious." Kate looked back at him and breathed a sigh of relief.

Knowing that Claire had survived was a big relief for her; she couldn't imagine losing her after all of this. And also having to figure out what would happen to Aaron…that would have been brutal. So thank god that she was alive.

She leaned back and shut her own eyes, smiling.

"Well…" Jack started, "She's gonna be okay. She's pretty weak right now so we should let her sleep, but someone should stay awake just in case she wakes up and needs water…" He stated.

The sun was starting to go down already so Jack looked around, "So who wants to take the first shift?"

"I will." Kate volunteered, moving towards the still Claire that was laying on her back.

Jack nodded respectfully and then moved to the other side of the raft where he laid down to sleep, as did Hurley, Desmond, and Frank.

Sun sat awake with Kate for a while.

"You okay?" Kate asked, looking over at her.

Sun shook her head, "No. But I'm ready to leave…and get as far away from wherever the Island is as possible because…that's what Jin wanted for me…and what Sawyer wanted for you…and what Charlie wanted for Claire." She said.

Kate nodded and gave her a comforting smile.

And then, out of nowhere, Claire spoke. It was a soft, mumble and she didn't seem to be completely conscious of what she was saying, "I…I have…to understand…" She whispered, "Charlie…Jacob…"

Sun looked down at her and then back at Kate, "You know you're the reason that she's alive. You saved her life, Kate and Aaron's too. He needs Claire. So you saved both of them." She smiled lightly.

Kate nodded modestly.

"Come back…I…I have to…come…back…" She mumbled, "No, no! Not him! Not him, please!" Her eyes shot open, tears brimming in them.

"Claire?" Kate looked down at her, "Are you okay?"

Sun stared down at her too, concerned.

Claire sniffed and looked at each of them, "I…I was dreaming about him…" She whispered, raising her hand to her cheek to wipe the tears from her eyes before they had the chance to fall, "D-Do you guys believe in fate?"

"Fate?" Kate creased her eyebrows, "No I don't think I do."

"I do." Sun looked at the ground, "I believe that everything is going to happen the way it's supposed to happen, no matter what…I really do. And if I lose that, I'll lose everything."

"Why do you ask?" Kate asked, looking down at her.

Claire closed her eyes and gulped, "I'm trying to understand."


End file.
